Luke 8:51-62 Mission Possible

            I have a confession to make. I had a plan for my life. I had an entire map drawn out in my mind of what my entire life would look like from beginning to end. Now, to show you how amusing it sounds, I did not have the plan until I was about 15; you know, that time when we ALL knew exactly what our lives would look like. Here are some examples of how wonderful a plan it was. I would be married by the age of 22, have three kids (cause I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too old as they grew up). I would retire from the military by the age of 37, maybe 40, as either a Lieutenant Colonel in the army or Commander in the Navy. Sounds good doesn’t it? Sounds like the life. So I began on this journey. First, I needed a girlfriend and that was the first sign that things weren’t going to go well. But I was focused on having this life that I planned. My mind was set on this life that I took the time to plan. My focus was all about this plan.

            Our Gospel reading has Jesus on a mission. His face was set toward Jerusalem. It is a clever way for Luke to say that Jesus is setting out on this mission. He knows where he is going and what he is going to do. Kinda sounds like a well scripted movie, doesn’t it? Jesus sends out his messengers to the Samaritan village to announce that Jesus is coming through. I can picture it as if it were from a movie. I could imagine that the Samaritans get ready to line the streets to greet the approaching Jesus with songs and giving Jesus honor, maybe even their version of a ticker tape parade; the leader coming out to greet Jesus and give him a key to the city. It would be nice if that happened, but it didn’t.

            The Samaritans did not do any of that. The Samaritans did not even receive Jesus. They were not even concerned that he was coming to town. Our Gospel reading says they did not receive him because his face was “set toward Jerusalem.” Jesus was on a mission! Did the Samaritans think they were less important or not part of the mission? There was a history of Samaritans and Jews not getting along; so, was this just another Jew coming through town. Our Gospel reading does not tell us why they did not receive him. There reaction to Jesus approaching is important because we then see the reaction of the disciples.

            When James and John see the reaction of the Samaritans, they go into full blown “anger mode.” I mean they don’t say “let’s just leave.” NO! They ask Jesus if they should command fire to come down and take them all out. Talk about over-reacting! These two guys want to take out the whole village. They are ready to say BURN IT DOWN! Flatten the place! James and John are waiting for the instruction to take out the town and all who live in it (as if they had the power to command such a thing). They are ready to curse the place and be on their way, without a thought.

            Jesus remains focused on his mission. He does not want the place destroyed because his mission is bigger than town’s people. His mission is so important that he cannot let people who do not receive him sidetrack him from this mission. Because we all know the mission that Jesus is on. We all know the importance of this mission and that this mission leads to the most important place, for you and for me; that this mission will take Jesus to a place that was regarded as a place of shame.

            Yet this mission also tells us something about ourselves. As Jesus is focused on his mission to the hill outside of Jerusalem, there are many others who want to join this mission. There are many who want to follow this leader wherever he goes; because they have been touched in some way shape or form by his words and his actions. Their encounter with Jesus touched into the deepest part of their being…their heart. They were so moved they wanted to set their faces toward Jesus, the Messiah. When they tell Jesus they want to follow, but first they want to say goodbye, Jesus responds, “Let the dead bury themselves” and “no one who puts hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven.” It sounds like Jesus is seriously scolding the people who merely want to say goodbye.

            Jesus is not scolding them. Jesus is telling them that this mission to follow, this calling to follow him means giving up control. It means giving up control of our lives no matter how much we have planned out, whether it be every year of our lives, our friends, careers, spouses, the number of children we have, or the house we live in; Jesus is telling us that when we live our lives as disciples of God, focusing on God’s promises of Grace and Mercy, and with God’s love at the heart of who we are, God leads us in a very different direction than what we might have planned.

            Out of all those plans that I made for my life, not one of them happened at the time I had planned. I am not a father of three. I am a stepdad to two men who can be frustrating at times because “that’s not the way I would do it…” but bring much joy to my life. I did not retire from the military, at all, but went into careers that I felt God had a physical hand in getting me to where God needed me to be. I did not try and ask God for fire to consume anyone or any town.

            While that all sounds nice, there was never a promise that any of this would be easy for any of us. Through our lives we all have had struggles. We have dealt with diagnosis of illnesses with ourselves or loved ones. We all, at one time or another, struggled in some way shape or form in our personal lives, professional lives and in our faith lives. Jesus never promised that it would be easy. I don’t know about you but that is one thing I wish Jesus would have promised. Through all our struggles, we do have the promise that God is with us; God walks with us to lean on, yell at, and to cry with, in those times of struggle and to celebrate in our moments of great joy.

            Jesus is telling us to look forward to the promises of God. Have you ever plowed a field, driven a car or walked down the street looking behind you? If you did, I am confident that the straight line you think you were walking or driving would send you off in a bad direction. Jesus is telling us to look forward to the promises of God. Because, Jesus mission is set on that hill outside of Jerusalem. It is that hill where the cross that was once a symbol of shame becomes a cross of Glory. It is the cross where we see Jesus’ mission as not only going to Jerusalem to overturn tables in the temple, but to Go where God called his only Son to be placed and pay for our sins to show us that we are loved beyond what we may be able to comprehend.

            This week we will celebrate the founding of our country. A large group of people whose mission was to create a country…this country. We celebrate, starting tomorrow, 150^th Anniversary of men whose mission it was to protect a small town in Pennsylvania just a few miles north of here. Fifty years ago, this summer, we will celebrate a speech that was given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was given by a man who was said to carry the bible in one hand and the Constitution in the other. In all these cases, all these groups felt called by God to do these things, say these things, live out God’s call to follow.

            Just as they were called to a mission, we too are called to a mission. A mission to proclaim the Good News that Jesus Christ is the son of God. The Good News that Christ walks with us in our journey and in this world to show us and share with others the love of God. We bring our burdens to the cross and rejoice in that Jesus mission was for our sake. We come because we look forward to the promise of forgiveness and life eternal in a loving God. Thanks be to God: AMEN

Luke 8:26-39 What is your name? Answer: Child of God

            We are going to try something today. I want you to think of three words, just three, that describe you. Now that you have the three words, I want you to turn to the person next to you and tell them the three words. I will give you an example by going first: I am a husband, Stepdad, and grandfather. I could use different words in different situations: I am a pastor, friend, and partner. So turn to the person next to you or in front or back and share your three words.

            You might notice that you might describe yourself according to who is sitting next to you. You might describe yourself differently when you are writing a resume. I had two resumes when I worked as a paralegal. I had one that highlighted organizational and managerial skills and I had one that highlighted my work in electronics, in case I wanted to go back into that field (much of that information has long been forgotten).

The point is that we all look at this statement: “What’s in a name?” One of my first experiences with ministry was working at a place called “N Street Village” It was located at 14^th and N Street in Northwest, Washington, D.C. It is a transitional women’s homeless shelter.  It accepted women right off the streets who had nothing; no home, no job, and no means of support. This shelter helped women from the streets and gave them training, education in job skills and resume writing, doctor’s appointments, and was able to work with the mayor’s office so that they could get housing; the goal was to enable them to be productive in society and have their own life.

In my short time there I heard stories that would break your heart. So many stories of people who lost everything, sometimes by their decisions and sometimes by situations they had no control over. The common thread through all these stories comes down to one thing: They all lost who they were. When they had to live on the streets, there were no more descriptors that would define them other than homeless, crazy, weirdos, neglected…these are some of the terms that I heard people on the street use towards these women.

In our Gospel reading, we find Jesus being confronted by a man possessed by demons. This man does not have a home, but lives in the tombs where the bodies are buried. I could imagine that the town’s people might be afraid of this man. I can picture him running around and saying things that may not make sense to you or me…mumbling to himself saying “who knows what.” This man, by appearances has lost everything. I could imagine that the people of the town might call him crazy, weird, and other kinds of names: It might be that his descriptors may have replaced his name.

When Jesus asked him his name his reply was merely a descriptor. This man was not named “Legion” but he was telling Jesus what was happening to him. He is telling Jesus that he is possessed by a legion (100) demons. This man had lost his identity of who he was; that he might have been a father, brother, uncle, prominent business man, farmer…whatever it was that he could choose to describe him was now gone. Now he was known by another term, maybe the most polite would have been “man possessed by the demons.”

This man and the women that I met at N Street village share this common bond. All have lost their identity, whether it is through a description of who they are, an adjective…whatever it is…they have lost their identities. They have lost who they are in the world. They have been swallowed up by all the things in the world that can take them away from the love of God. They may have been caught up, either by their decisions or by circumstances and have nowhere to go, no support network, no friends to lean on.

I think that we might be able to relate to these people as well. We, too, may feel like we have lost our identity. We can get so caught up in our world that we can feel lost. Look at our society, everything is given a number. When I was in the service, we were identified by our social security number. If it is not a social security number, its account numbers, pin, numbers, and such. We can get caught up in our work lives and with all that is going on in the world that it seems we don’t matter. We can feel so much pressure to do so much at work in so little time that it feels like our worth is measured in how much we produce, not by who we are. Our society is set up that way: our worth is determined by output…do more use less.

Today, we hear that it does not have to be that way. Today we hear in this Gospel text that we are not nameless faces; rather we are valued in the eyes of God. This man who is possessed is no longer held captive by the demons; just like the women of N Street Village who lost their identity. The ministry of N Street Village is to be God’s hands and feet in giving back to theses women, their name and show them that they are valued children of God.

Jesus shows us all through his actions and words that we are remembered, we are loved, and we are named child of God. Through our baptism, we are declared loved and precious in the eyes of God. We are claimed to one descriptor and that is: “Child of God.” We are named and claimed by a God who will go to any lengths to show that love; even sending God’s only son to the cross, for our sake. So that we KNOW we are loved and can feel that we are loved.

Remember that phrase, “What’s in a name?” When it comes to who we are, everything is in a name. It means that because we have the name child of God, we have a loving God that we can lean on, and ask questions of when we struggle. When we have had a tough day because of the pressures of daily life, we can look to the one who showed us we are valued. When have tough decisions in our lives we have a God that promises to never leave us. We have a God who cares so much that he brings friends into our lives, people that touch our lives, we have support networks of friends and family that we can share our struggles with as well as our joys. It is through the Word of God that we know not only who we are but whose we are: Child of God.

This morning we are reminded of it as we welcome Landon into the body of Christ. We know the difficulties of this world and we know that he and his parents will need strength and support in this journey of faith. God calls us to lift them up in prayer and support so that they remember and can hold onto the promises of God in a world that can be so challenging.

Hold onto the name; child of God. Hold onto that identity, embrace it and may it bring you comfort, strength, and a peace this day and forever more: AMEN!

Its About Forgiveness and Gratitude

          Luke 7:36- 8:3 

           As I was preparing for today’s sermon, I started thinking about Father’s Day and what it all means. I was wondering why it was always on a Sunday and how it came to be.

So here is what I found: Father's Day was inaugurated in the United States in the early 20th century to complement Mother’s Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting.  After the success obtained by Anna Jarvis with the promotion of Mother's Day in the US, some wanted to create similar holidays for other family members, and Father's Day was the choice most likely to succeed. There were other persons in the US who independently thought of "Father's Day", but the credit for the modern holiday is often given to Sonora Dodd, who was the driving force behind its establishment.

Father's Day first came to be officially in Spokane, Washington at the Spokane YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd.   Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children there. After hearing a sermon about Jarvis' Mother's Day in 1909, she told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday honoring them.  Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, the pastors did not have enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.

  A bill was introduced in Congress in 1913 to make it a national holiday and that did not happen. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation.

Attempts were made again in 1957 by Senator Margaret Smith of Maine. She did not think it was fair to single out one parent over the other. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

It took a few strong willed women over the course of a number of years to get Father’s Day treated as a national holiday.  And today, we lift up the positive, loving, caring characteristics of not just fathers, but men of all backgrounds and ages.  We celebrate what they contribute to our families, communities and world.  We look to the role models, those men who do the right thing…even when it’s not so easy. 

And today…of all days…we are introduced to a rather racy story.  I spoke of God’s love and forgiveness crossing boundaries; and today, boundaries are being crossed all over the place, misunderstandings are running amok, long-standing assumptions are being displayed and Jesus will have none of it.

Our Gospel reading has Jesus at a dinner party and Jesus is the guest. Simon has planned this dinner when, all of a sudden, this WOMAN comes into the dinner. Her actions are bold because she heads right to the feet of Jesus. She found out he was going to be there and Luke doesn’t waste any time. He puts her right behind Jesus and then she goes to his feet. Luke does take the time to identify her as a sinner; and I will get to that in a moment. She wipes his feet clean with her tears and anoints the feet with expensive oil.

Simon, the Pharisee, has a different opinion of this situation. He knows what is going on and knows who is who in the town. Simon knows that this woman is from the streets and so he is thinking, “I know who this woman, but if Jesus WAS a prophet, he wouldn’t be hanging around this woman.” Simon has already made a judgement about who this woman is. He thinks that if Jesus really was a prophet…the voice of God…God would tell Jesus who the woman is. Simon might be believing that this woman is unclean and might cast other aspersions on her because she is from the CITY and the STREETS.

It appears that Simon is only seeing one side of this situation. He is focused on this SINNER who has barged into his dinner and touching, let alone, washing the feet and anointing the feet of this PROPHET who he doesn’t think much of; because he is letting this woman touch his feet. Simon is looking at the failings and the broken boundaries that are occurring: A woman approaching the men, she does not know her place of being silent, and the idea of an unclean person coming into the dinner and making anyone she touches unclean. This has serious ramifications from Simon’s point of view.

Simon is not understanding that this story is about forgiveness and gratitude. Jesus tells us that this is about forgiveness. He tells Simon directly that this woman’s sins HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN. Jesus uses the words HAVE BEEN forgiven. It sounds as if Jesus has met this woman before, because that important phrase means that this forgiveness occurred sometime before. So, why would this woman come back and do all these things?

This woman is acting out her gratitude. She is showing Jesus the gratitude that is in her heart for being forgiven. As I said earlier, she is described as a sinner. We might have an idea about what Simon thinks it means for her to be a sinner. The fact is we don’t know what sins she has committed. The fact is that “sin is sin.” we, as Lutherans, do not recognize degrees of sin because each and every sin works to keep us from God’s love and promises.

To drive home his point, Jesus gives Simon a parable about forgiveness. This parable is about who would be forgiven more, the man with 50 Denarii debt or 500 Denarii. Simon picks the right answer. Some might say it is because he sees the light. Some might say that he picks right because Simon knows how to add. He chooses the greater debt should be forgiven. 500 Denarii is over a year’s wages. Think about the time span of one year and the amount of trouble we can get into.

That is a lot of forgiveness and this woman realizes the incredible gift that she has been given. She is giving back to Jesus with all her heart the gift that she has been given. This gift of forgiveness gives her the ultimate gift of freedom. She is no longer bound by her sins of the past. She does not feel the burden that often comes with sin. It is the burden of carrying the weight of her actions around every day. You see, Simon is defining her by her actions…her sin. He is  judging her worth by her sin and her brokenness. Jesus forgiving her frees her from judgement and brokenness; she is now able to live her life without being weighed down. Jesus words and actions give her the gift of living in God’s love and light.

So what does that mean for us? What does this woman have to do with us? Her story has everything to do with us. We might be able to see this woman, from the city…the streets, and make judgements about her. We might see a woman, man, or young perons on the street and make judgements about the person, simply on outward appearances. We might make judgements about what someone…anyone says or does; without getting to know someone. As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and died for our sake, for the forgiveness of our sin; just like the woman has been forgiven, WE HAVE BEEN forgiven. So I believe an important question is: “How will we show our gratitude to Jesus…God for the freedom from our burden that is sin?” AMEN!

God is for the unlikely and for all. Luke 7:1-10

Luke 7:1-10

            The Gospel reading that we have this morning is a little unusual in several different ways. Typically we hear and read stories of Jesus going to the people of Israel and teaching them, healing them; he tells them to repent for the Kingdom of God draws near. Jesus goes to the Pharisees, Priests, and Scribes telling them about God. Or, Jesus is performing a miracle and speaking about God’s love and heals out of love and compassion for the afflicted because of their faith or the faith of someone who loves them.

            Our Gospel, today, addresses healing much in the same way. However, there is something very different in this story. Jesus goes to someone who might seem to be one of the most unlikely people we might think that Jesus would ever go to; Jesus goes to a Roman centurion. Do you know why that is so unlikely? Who were the Romans in Jesus time? That’s right, the Romans were occupying Israel at the time. A Centurion, is the leader of a group of about 100 soldiers and they were “the enemy.” They controlled this nation of Israel. They were an army where soldiers could come into a house and take anything they wanted for their government or for their personal use. I think it would be fair to say that the people of Israel did not think too much of this occupying army.

            One of the unusual parts of this story is how Jesus came to this place. Jesus just finished his teaching and went into the village of Capernaum. Who knows why he was going. Maybe it was to rest or get something to eat. He enters the village and the Centurion sends people out to Jesus. The centurion knows about Jesus. He has heard stories of what Jesus has done, he has this slave that scripture says he values “highly.” We don’t know anything about this slave…we don’t even know if he is an Israelite; but the centurion considers this person special. So, he sends out the elders of the church to ask Jesus to come.

            The elders come to tell Jesus that this centurion is more than just a soldier. The centurion has been helping the people out. The elders tell Jesus that the centurion has love for the people. He has even helped them build synagogues. There is more to this centurion than one would think. We could easily paint him as an occupier, an enemy of the state. It would be easy to paint this person with all kinds of derogatory statements and even hatred because of his role in the Roman occupying force. But this centurion, this man is different than what we or the people of Jesus time would think.

            There is a compassion in this man, in this soldier. This compassion enables him to do his job but also to show care for the people that he is responsible for; whether they are in his military charge or they are the people that he is watching over. This care that he displays enables him to listen to the stories about Jesus, not just with his ears but in his head and heart. To the point that he comes to know who Jesus is; that Jesus has the power to heal someone that he cares about and wants to be well. He knows that Jesus has the authority to heal the sick and so he calls for Jesus.

            Jesus goes and as he approaches, a friend comes out to tell the story of unworthiness. That’s right, a story or a confession of being unworthy. Imagine a Centurion or any type of military commander admitting with people around, “I am not worthy!” That is a shocking statement for a leader to admit in front of the people who see you as a person that could easily abuse his power and authority over the people of that region. It is a startling admission and could put the soldier in a tough spot with the people. They could have risen up against this person and overthrown him, but that did not happen.

            Jesus heard this confession and scripture says that he was “amazed.” Imagine that…someone stumped Jesus! Jesus is amazed because of all the things he had experienced before this. Throughout our Gospels, the people of Israel listen to the words and witness the actions of Jesus. Some ask to follow while others plot to arrest him. Some still question asking for him to prove who he is while some walk away. Where the people of Israel doubt and do all this I just mentioned; this Centurion recognizes the power and authority of Jesus Christ and asks Jesus to heal; and Jesus DOES heal.

            What does this tell us about God’s compassion? It tells us that God’s compassion goes far beyond what we THINK we know. God’s compassion is not only for the people of Israel but it is extended beyond geographical boundaries. In Jesus time, not all Roman soldiers were “Roman.” So we know that God’s compassion extends beyond ethnic boundaries. We also don’t know if the soldier practiced any religion, but we do know that this soldier asked Jesus, the Son of God, to heal someone that he cared about and it was Jesus compassion for this soldier that he healed the slave; without seeing him, speaking, or touching him. God’s healing came to someone that could seem like the most unlikely person.

            What does that tell us about God? God reaches the most unlikely people as well as the faithful. This soldier may not have practiced any religion or held any religious beliefs, but he built a synagogue. He treated the people under him fairly to the point that they loved them. We are seeing something very important here folks. We are hearing that God’s compassion is for all people, regardless of ethnicity, income, geographical boundary, and status in the community.

As Christians, we hold that God created everything and out of that creation came the gift of compassion, love, and grace. They are gifts that God has shown and given to us through the actions of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. We also acknowledge that God has made these gifts available to all that God has created…for you and for me. And this gift of love and grace is available to all. We see these actions after tornadoes and tropical storms of neighbors helping neighbors. We saw it this past week in the woman who was pulled out of the collapsed building in Philadelphia when workers continued to look for survivors. We saw it a couple of weeks ago when people literally saved the life of an infant in cutting the baby out of a sewer pipe, refusing to let this child suffer.

They may seem like unlikely people to receive God’s grace and compassion. We don’t know their backgrounds but we see that there is something inside of them that calls them to be compassionate in those moments that I mentioned. They may not seem like the only unlikely people to receive God’s compassion and grace. We also might consider ourselves unlikely or even unworthy of God’s grace. We have all done things we are not too proud of. We have all made mistakes; Yet it is because of God’s compassion and Mercy for us, through Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection that we are made worthy children of God. It is because of what God has done for us that we are no longer unlikely or unworthy; but we ARE LOVED and WORTHY of God’s compassion.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we gather here in this place because it is the place we are fed; fed with the word of God. It is the word of compassion and grace. It is here where we are fed with the bread and wine of forgiveness. It is the place where we witness the unworthiness of ourselves in the world and our transformation to worthy, loved, children of a loving, compassionate God; full of grace and mercy for all that God has created. AMEN! 

A story of hope...our story of hope.

            His name was Ernie. He was a mischievous young man; born with a chip on his shoulder. So much so that he began stealing things early in life. He did not steal televisions, cars, or things like that. He was known for stealing pies and cakes that ladies would put in their windows to cool. Ernie grew up in the 1920’s. Because of his stealing, he had to make sure he got away really quickly; so one of the things he learned in his life of crime was to run. He got faster and faster. People saw this gift in him and he ended up running track in high school. Ernie got so good at running he found himself in the Olympics in Berlin. Ernie was set to beat everyone in the world; he was the favorite. That was until the night before his race, he decided to go out and have a little fun. The next morning when it came time to run his race, he did horribly. The race he was supposed to win had a different winner; Jesse Owens won the Gold medal that day while Ernie was eliminated early on.

            Some might say that Ernie got what he deserved. Some might think that God was against Ernie; he never had a chance. Some might think that Ernie was bitter for losing the race. He might have been angry or even hated Jesse Owens for showing him up. That is not what happened. Ernie was disappointed but Ernie did not stew on this bad choice that he made. He looked to the future. He began preparing for the next Olympics when he got home. He started running, working on his times, and became more disciplined because he did not want to suffer the same fate as he did before.

            Our reading today from Romans talks about suffering and many other things. Today we hear the words: justification, peace, suffering, and hope. Four very powerful words and there is so much that is packed into them. SO let’s start with justification. Our faith tells us (and sometimes this faith can be shaky) that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Our faith tells us that God sent Jesus into the world because…as John says…”God so loved the world that he sent his only Son into the world to save it.” I am paraphrasing a little bit but this is important to know. It is important to know that our faith is what we hold onto in good times as well as bad times that Jesus Christ is with us, has gone to the cross for our sake…to save us from our sin, death, and the devil (as Martin Luther would say). Jesus saved us from those things that seemed to be THE END, saved us from those things that would try to keep us from God. From that faith in knowing and believing who Jesus is, we can have peace in knowing that God’s love for us has been displayed.

            I think one of the most challenging parts of this reading from Romans is what Paul says about suffering and hope. “We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces HOPE.” I believe this might be the part where people think of a couple of sayings: “what doesn’t kill ya makes you stronger” or “God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle.” Paul seems to be saying that it is a good thing to suffer; OR that suffering is some kind of badge of honor that we should all wear proudly.

            That is not what Paul is saying. Paul is saying that Jesus Christ, the Son of  God, has shown us God’s love through his teachings and his journey to the cross. Because of Jesus actions and words, we have experienced God’s grace and compassion. He is saying that because of the love of God, through Christ on the cross, God’s grace and promises are that we ARE loved. God has shown us how much we are loved and it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are not left in a sinful, broken world. God walks with us and feels what we feel because of Jesus Christ who underwent suffering AND it is because of Jesus suffering that God understands our suffering.

            Paul still writes about boasting in our suffering. Does this mean that we are supposed to suffer? Are we meant to suffer? Or does God want us to suffer? I don’t believe that suffering is something to wear like a badge. We know that suffering hurts. It is painful when we lose a loved one, when one of our family members suffers from medical issues (cancer, disease,). It is painful when we lose a job, lose our trust in something or someone, when someone suffers from addiction…let’s face it…we all have seen loved ones suffer or have suffered ourselves at one time or another.

            God does not want us to suffer. It is easy to say that our suffering must be “God’s will.” If that is the case then we would be compelled to ask ourselves,  “what did I do wrong, God?” I don’t believe that a God who would send his only Son to the cross out of love would turn around and say “now I am gonna make you suffer.” What Paul is saying is that amid our suffering, in those times when we are hurting because of our actions or the actions of someone else, we can hold onto God’s promise that God is with us. We can hold onto God’s promise that we will not be left alone or abandoned.

Paul is saying we can hold onto the promise of God’s love because in that love and in that promise is HOPE. Through holding onto the words and actions of Jesus, holding onto our faith in Jesus Christ and God, we can know, with confidence, that God is in our lives and in our hearts. God weeps with us when we mourn, God hurts with us when we hurt, God says bring your burdens to this cross when need to be forgiven and forgive. Paul is telling us that when we do suffer our faith in God and knowing that God is with us will produce endurance to make it through whatever we are going through. That when we begin to endure and keep going (knowing that God is walking beside us) we can make choices that are in keeping with who God calls us to be. And finally, That character builds hope; the hope in that God will get us through all things, no matter how big or small, it is the hope that we live, speak, and act with God at the center of all that we do.

Our story of Ernie takes a few bad turns. Ernie joined the military when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was a pilot. His aircraft went down in the Pacific and he was captured by the Japanese. Ernie was tortured by one particular guard for four years because Ernie, even though he lost to Jesse Owens, was famous. Ernie held onto hope every day that he would be freed or just that the torture would stop. Along his journey, he did find some hope. He found a guard that treated several of the prisoners with dignity and respect. This guard even helped them to heal by not beating them and actually giving them food that was nutritious to sustain their bodies.

Ernie went on to struggle when he got home with all that he had been through. His marriage almost ended until he heard a young preacher named Billy Graham. His life changed to be a life of forgiveness and healing and sharing that with others.

Ernie’s story is not much different from our story. We have made choices in our lives where we suffer from those choices. We have said and done things we are not too proud of, and we have watched loved ones, if not ourselves, go through things none of us want. BUT know this: God does love you and me. God has made promises and keeps those promises no matter how bleak or bad the future looks. The hope that Paul talks about is that our future as children of a loving God is bright and full of love and life, grace, and mercy.

So this is the day when we give thanks to all who served their country and gave their “last full measure.” We hold in prayer all who had hope in protecting their country, whether they be military, civilian, or first responders. This is a day when we look to hope…hope in our present, our future, and hope in one another as children of God to share that hope…”because hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us:” AMEN! 

Pentecost Moments

            I have a confession to make. Another one of my favorite shows was a show called “Touched by an Angel.” I liked the show for its message. For those of you who never saw it, it is a show about angels. God sends the angels, Della Reese who was the Supervisor angel, Roma Downey who was the angel in training (For a lot of years if you noticed), and then Andrew who was the angel of death. He escorted the deceased to heaven. The basic premise of the show was that someone would get into some kind of trouble and God would send the angels to help the person out. The outcome was not always the outcome that people were looking for. But, in typical television fashion everything would be resolved in about an hour (give or take eight minutes in commercials).

            Now we are going to look back to a week and a half ago, which was the ascension of Jesus. He had been raised and met with the disciples to continue teaching them. The time came for Jesus to ascend to heaven. He promised that the Holy Spirit…the advocate or Holy Spirit would guide them and remind them of all he had taught. All seemed to quiet down when on the fiftieth day (Pentecost) after the resurrection the Holy Spirit’s presence was made known. This Pentecost also fell during the festival of weeks a time that the Jewish people celebrated the first Harvest and celebrated when God gave Moses the law.

The disciples were locked up in a room thinking that they were next. Remember, their Lord, teacher, and the Son of God, not long ago, had undergone suffering and death at the hands of the religious leaders and the Roman leaders. It might seem natural that they think they are next. So they are in this place hoping they aren’t discovered.

All of the sudden, things change. Without warning, the wind kicks up making incredible noise, and tongues of fire appear and now they are speaking different languages. I can imagine all this as if it were a movie. I can imagine the wind and this fire pushing them out into the streets as they are talking and it just seems chaotic. We know that the people already in the streets hearing the disciples thought they were drunk; Peter gets up and sets them straight, telling they are not drunk and then pointing out that this all came through Isaiah, “God declares, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.”

This is one of those times in scripture that the Holy Spirit becomes visible. It came upon the disciples like a rushing wind and tongues of fire. Quite impressive, isn’t it? This is where I get put off and even upset with the show “Touched by an Angel.” The show had these visible markers; meaning, when the angel was about to announce themselves as an “angel sent from God,” A light would go on over their head. Wouldn’t that be nice if we all had that…ya know…when you want to feel the power of the Holy Spirit a light would come on over top of your head. It sure would make life a little easier; make the decision making process go a lot quicker in my life.

Pentecost is a transformational event. We see this time when people speak different languages but it is so much more than words. The disciples are able to share, in the languages of all the people who came to the festival from other nations, the work of God in their lives. Their words are so that others may hear the Word of God and the works of God through Jesus Christ; his teachings, healings, and even his death and resurrection. The disciples are able to speak all these different languages telling the story of God in the world…God’s Word that became flesh. These people that are telling the story are transformed, by the Holy Spirit, from cowering in a room being afraid that they are next to bursting out into the street to tell God’s story in their lives.

That is why Pentecost is so important. Because these lives…these people…who were followers of Christ, who asked “are you the Messiah? just tells us if you are,” Are transformed from followers who ask lots of questions and still may not get it into people who proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; they are now a people who share God’s Good News of salvation and redemption to all the people. We see this and the church points to this moment in Acts where the church is formed and it is indeed a day to celebrate.

But one of the problems is that we only believe that it occurs once. This is not the only Pentecost moment in the bible. This time where transformation and the work of the Holy Spirit appears happens more than one time in the bible. Stephen’s call to ministry is the work of the Spirit, Saul’s conversion, a few weeks ago, Paul was guided to the house of Cornelius, and of course this morning’s reading of the Spirit entering the disciples. These are moments where we get a glimpse of Pentecost moments…transformational moments.

So the question is this: “If Pentecost moments occur more than once in the bible, do they occur in our world?” I would argue that “yes, they do.” The Church in the world has had Pentecost moments; As we started our monthly Bible Study, we started with the Emperor Constantine. When he formed the Council of Nicea in 325, the church was transformed. It was not so much a free for all but became a little more organized. Throughout the history of the church with councils that came later, the Church was transformed. Martin Luther’s Reformation was also a Pentecost moment in that an understanding of God TRANSFORMED people’s hearts and minds. When he translated the Word of God into German so that everyone could read and hear God’s words is a Pentecost moment.

We also have Pentecost moments within our own church. Here in Woodsboro/Chapel, this church was altered 211/150 years ago when a group of people wanted to build a house of worship. When a pastor convinced the congregation to tear down the wooden structure of a church and rebuild a brick structure almost 100 years ago OR when a group of people, amid a war that pit brother against brother, decided the Word of God was important enough to build a sanctuary while stragglers are probably still passing by the general area on their way across the Potomac.

We also have those Pentecost moments in our own lives. When there is a new addition to the family either by child, marriage, or new relationship. These are transforming Pentecost moments because we know our lives will be different OR whenever we hear an inspirational story and we feel moved to do something to help others; starting a feeding ministry or helping the food bank. These are moments that transform our lives and our ministries.

These Pentecost times may not come with the light over the head, the Halo getting brighter, or someone saying, “I am an angel sent by God…” But these Pentecost times might appear in a friend saying, “I got your back.” They may come in the words of “As a called and ordained minister in the church of God and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the forgiveness of all your sins.” Pentecost moments may come in hearing “this is my body and blood, given and shed for you.” These moments may come in a smile or a hug or a phone call of someone just checking in.

May we all be on the lookout for our Pentecost moments and may we see the Holy Spirit through the actions of others: AMEN

John 14: 23-29; The Work of the Holy Spirit

            One of my favorite movies of All TIME is a movie called “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” It is about a music teacher. He shows up on his first day of school in the early 70’s and he believes himself to be a composer not a teacher. He needs this job in order to be able to make money while he is writing his big major work; because all composers want to have that one big work. So he takes the job as teacher and the movie follows him through decades of teaching. It also shows him dealing with family life challenges: a son who, through testing, is discovered to be deaf and his struggles in communicating with this son, marital challenges, and he begins to get away from his composing.

            This story from the Gospel of John relates to this teacher, Mr Holland. It relates in a way that we all might not look at on its surface. Our Gospel reading this morning is part of what is called the farewell discourse of Jesus. Jesus is preparing to say “goodbye” to the disciples. Imagine someone you love telling you these things. The statement alone that someone is leaving can be a painful experience. Especially, when this is a person that you have walked with your entire life, shared happy times, and shared times of challenges and struggles…if they told you they were leaving it would be devastating. So imagine how the disciples felt at this news. Jesus whom they have shared so much of their lives with is now going away. I know that we have all experienced that feeling at one time or another.

            Despite this leaving, Jesus tells us that God is sending an advocate to teach and remind the disciples of Jesus’ words and actions. I am sure that may not sound to comforting but Jesus is giving words of comfort to the disciples. He is telling them that they are not left alone to fend for themselves or to give up living as God’s children because I am going away…se ya. Jesus is telling the disciples…and us…that God is still in this world whether Jesus is here or not. This advocate or Holy Spirit will be in the world to tell us again of all Jesus actions and words. The Holy Spirit reminds the disciples of Jesus healing the blind and the lepers. The Holy Spirit harkens us back to the time when Jesus reached out beyond the boundaries of laws that determined who was in and who was out, beyond the boundaries of geography; he went outside the boundaries of the temple [the place where God resided]. He went into the world proclaiming God’s love, mercy, and grace to the world.

            The Holy Spirit reminds us of that love that holds no bounds. We hear through Jesus’ words that we are not left alone; because despite Jesus’ return to the Father, the Holy Spirit remains with us to guide us and teach us about God and Jesus in the world. This is where the movie and this Gospel can connect. Mr. Holland was set upon writing that one good music piece. Who can blame him with all the money spent on his education? Yet he was guided in a different direction. He began to pay more attention to his students and their lives. Mr. Holland reached out beyond his education as a composer and began helping students that were in need, he helped shape their lives and he was an advocate for his students. He became that person that instilled in them a sense of pride in their own work, he gave them that boost that they needed to make their lives better. I think we may all have someone in our lives that did that for us.

            I am not saying that Mr. Holland is anything like Jesus. First of all, this was fiction and it was a movie. Society would like us to have local people that we lift up like Mr. Holland. Society would have us lift up this celebrity, sports star, politician…insert whatever celebrity’s name here to be our savior for this or that; and then several months later it is this same society that tears that person down. God does not want us to live in a world of building up for the purpose of tearing down. How do I know that, because that is not what Jesus taught us to do. Jesus said “keep my words” and what were some of those words. Some are found in our Gospel from last week; “love one another as I have loved you.

            Jesus is telling us to keep those words and they are not always easy to keep. In a time when there is so much unhappiness, war, and death it is very hard to keep these words. It is difficult to keep God’s words in your ears, let alone your heart, when you are looking for work or not knowing if you will have a job the next day, when the bills come due and there doesn’t seem to be enough money to cover the bills, or when so many people are pulling you in so many different directions that you just want the world to stop so that you can take a breath. Its hard when the people you love are coming to the end of their life, or illness…you name it…trying keep Jesus’s words “love your neighbor” is not easy…IT IS HARD.

            The Gift of the Holy Spirit is with us to remind us of these words and actions of Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls us to love our neighbor. Take a look around…seriously…take a moment to turn your head to the left and to the right. These are your neighbors and there may come a time, if the time is not now or was some other time in the past, when your neighbor might upset you or be hurting for any reason. The Holy Spirit reminds us that Christ paid the price for our sin and that we can seek forgiveness from one another and although we may disagree we can still do the work of Christ together.

            Loving your neighbor is not only for inside this room. Outside this room and these doors are our neighbors. There are people in this community who struggle the same way that we do. They may not know where their next paycheck is coming from, they may struggle with health issues, addictions…you name it…they may be having the same problems. So where does the Holy Spirit call us to be and what does the Spirit call us to do? If we keep Jesus words, then God calls us to offer to anyone outside these doors the love of our neighbor that God has shown to us, the broken, human, sinful people that we are.

            The Holy Spirit reminds us and teaches us that everyone is valuable. We know that because Jesus Christ on the cross showed us that we are valuable. The Holy Spirit calls us to go out in Woodsboro, Libertytown, where we worship and where we live to love our neighbor; to help our neighbors so that they have enough to eat, have shelter, or having a voice in the community. Loving our neighbor means looking past the stresses of the world to share with one another that God says we are all valued and valuable; that each one of us has different gifts and it means welcoming people who might look, think, and act differently than we do and realize that we need these relationships because we are ALL in this same boat (a broken world) together; to work together, and help one another, and to bring all our burdens of this world here to the foot of the cross, TOGETHER. The Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus invited to come and hear the Word, invited to come and share in the bread of life and drink from the cup of salvation. Thanks be to God:

AMEN